Partners
by RedhathackerSin
Summary: It's never easy to say goodbye to a friend, especially one who watches your back when fighting. However, all souls must pass on and goodbyes become necessary. Hero, villain, the inevitable will happen. Sometimes, goodbye is all that's left.
1. Shine

_It should be raining._

Jaune's thoughts had taken a strange turn as he stood in front of the empty grave. He believed with all his heart that it should be raining, in the stories that he used to be told, the weather always reflected the hero's inner turmoil whenever someone he cared for passed on.

However, this was no fairy tale, and Jaune now knew that he was no hero.

Jaune had thought he was going to be someone from the fairy tales, someone that his family could be proud of, but all of his plans, everything that he had been working toward this past year had vanished. And instead of having Mother Nature reflect his inner turmoil, the weather was a cool autumn day. An irony considering what he had learned his partner had been slated for.

His partner.

Pyrrha.

Jaune clenched his fists so hard that he was sure his nails had begun to draw blood from his palms. He felt the familiar burn of unshed tears behind his eyes as he thought of his partner.

She had been the best of them, the Invincible Girl, someone that any aspiring Huntress or Huntsman should be aspiring to, and now she was gone. Returned to the Dust, like so many others before her.

Jaune knew, _knew_ , that he should have done something to stop his ever independent partner from going alone to the tower to confront Cinder. If he had maybe the outcome might have been different, if he had just trained a bit harder, been a bit more dependable, maybe Pyrrha wouldn't have felt that he was more of a hindrance than a boon in a fight.

He now knew what it meant to be a hero, and Jaune Arc, whose dream it had been to be a hero, felt a sting that he was not expecting. Ever since he was a child he had wanted to be a hero, and his parents, his sisters, anyone who came into contact with him tried to dissuade him. He had though they just didn't understand, that they were looking down on his dream. He now knew that they had understood all too well.

Jaune closed his eyes, and there in his mind's eye was his partner. A beautiful young woman who had had so much more promise than himself. She had trained him to the warrior he was today, but it obviously was not enough. Whenever he thought of that fateful day, he knew that his emotions had been a rollercoaster. He had felt fear at fighting the Grimm, slight horror of finding the girl beneath the school, surprise at Pyrrha's kiss. And if he was being honest with himself, a small part of him, somewhere in his heart of hearts, had been excited.

In hindsight, he was disgusted with himself, but he could not deny that a small part of him was thrilled with the action of defending Vale against the creatures of darkness that were the Grimm, that Ozpin had deemed him worthy to watch his back as he performed the transfer to Pyrrha. Unfortunately for everyone involved, like so many things up until that point in his life, he failed. And this time, his failure had cost his partner's, the person who knew him best, the person who had proclaimed her love for him through a kiss, the person who could make him feel comfortable even as he felt crushing self-doubt and fear at not being worthy of the title of hero, life.

And now he knew, he knew what the stories didn't tell you, being a hero sucked.

He had had dreams of grandeur, had wanted to help as many people as possible, but he had forgotten that in those stories, whoever was mentoring the hero would often not make it to the end of the story. However, Jaune knew he was weak, and even though he wanted to be a hero, had thought that Pyrrha would be by his side, sharing in his triumphs and losses, helping him become a better person, a better _hero_. Now the only thing he felt was a cold numbness.

Reality had finally asserted itself over Jaune's dreams, showing him why everyone, every single person he knew before he came to Beacon, had tried to stop him. True heroes weren't glorious, in the tales they had many friends, but by the end they had quite a few less. He had thought he would be prepared to eventually lose some of his friends, but his naivety had struck once more and all he felt was the numbness.

When it had first happened, he had been angry. Angry at Ruby for failing, angry at Pyrrha for going, but greatest anger had been towards himself and his own uselessness. He had failed. He had failed at being a hero, how could he call himself a hero when he couldn't even save one person who was close to him. The closest person. Instead he had ben brushed aside like the weak kid he was and the true hero had stepped forth, to burn brightly before the spark of life had been snuffed out.

 _It's not fair_.

His mind raged at him in the beginning. He had thought he could do something, but all he could see now was that he was someone who needed to be saved, not someone who did the saving. He had been saved and he was now miserable.

"Jaune."

His name was being called, by another close friend, perhaps he would be the next victim in his quest to be a hero? Would he have to do this, over and over and over again until he was alone. That thought scared him, it scared him more than anything that his morose turn of thoughts had become had so far. However, before he could sink back down into his despair, the voice of his friend broke through once more.

" _Jaune_."

This time the voice was much more insistent. With a jolt Jaune looked away from his best friend's grave. Standing near him were the remaining two members of team JNPR. They were looking at him expectantly, once more waiting for his decision. How many times had he questioned himself, only to have Pyrrha bring him back to the ground, to let him know that what he was deciding was important and that his team would follow his orders. He would never have that again.

Sighing, Jaune ran a hand through his blond hair.

"I just need another moment, Ren."

Ren nodded, his own black hair with the pink highlight swaying slightly in the breeze. Standing next to him was his ever present shadow in the form of one Nora Valkyrie. The orange haired girl was being quiet as she gazed at their former teammate's grave. She merely gave a small smile towards her leader as he briefly glanced at her.

The NR of Team JNPR had been moving tenderly the past few days, their wounds from the battle still not entirely healed. It had been strange to see Nora so subdued, it was in great contrast to the normally bubbly and exuberant pancake lover. However, the doctors had said they would make a full recovery from their wounds, and Jaune intended to keep his now broken team close, to keep an eye on them. He never wanted to feel the way he did now again.

Although the two were recovering from their wounds still, they had forced themselves from the hospital, making sure they had come to the grave. They had to slip past some of the hospital security to do so, and Jaune was going to send them right back as soon as they were done here, but the gesture was appreciated.

Although this was the grave the JNPR had decided on for their fallen comrade, they were the only ones who really knew of its existence. This was something for them, to remember their fearless Invincible Girl, who turned out to be not so invincible after all.

"As soon as you're done Jaune, meet us back at the hospital, we need to figure out where to go from here."

Ren's voice was a soothing balm in the crisp autumn day that was laughing at Jaune's senses. However, before the two left Nora made sure to say her own piece.

"Yeah, fearless leader, we need you there to help with our next move, otherwise who knows what might happen."

Jaune gave a small smile at his remaining teammates, these two people whom he had bonded with throughout his time at Beacon.

"You got it guys, I'll be there in a bit, make sure to get some rest and recover, I'm already coming up with a plan."

The two nodded and made began to make their way towards the hospital. One final slightly more energetic wave from Nora, who immediately grabbed her side afterwards in pain and a head shake and lazy wave from Ren later and the two were gone from his sight, leaving him alone with Pyrrha once more.

Jaune turned to her grave and gazed to the clear blue sky, watching as a few red leaves floated around the air near the grave. Jaune closed his eyes once more and thought of his partner.

Her smile. Her green eyes. Her red hair. Her skills in combat. The way she made him feel. The way she helped others with no regard for herself. Her penchant for seeing the best in people. The feeling of her lips on his. Her expressive green eyes as she locked him into that locker.

Jaune had grown from the time he had met the quirky red head. She had brought out the best in him and had been one of the only people to believe that he could become the hero that he so desperately wanted to be. However, he had never wanted it to be at the cost that he had given. All of his experiences thus far in his Hunter's life had been with his trusty partner by his side, guarding his back and keeping the Nightmare that were Grimm away from him. He was truly grateful; she had been the best partner that he could have hoped to have.

The experiences that he had had with Pyrrha would never truly fade. He would make sure to burn her memory into his mind, never forgetting that the young woman had taken a chance on the goofy boy who had worn a onesie to his initiation, who hadn't even had his Aura unlocked, who should have just been someone that she knew in passing, who had the ridiculous dream of becoming a hero without ever really understanding what it meant.

Well he understood now.

Slowly, Jaune opened his eyes and looked once more upon the crisp autumn day that was so at odds with his inner turmoil, a small breeze rustling the leaves around him. At last Jaune felt something other than numbness, but it was something he hoped he would never feel again. This feeling, he would ascribe the word loss to it.

Although he would never forget his partner and knew that she had given it her all and then some for her fight, she would never again be with him. For the time being she was lost to him. Gone to a place he couldn't follow and it ate away at him.

It felt like only yesterday that his partner had unlocked his Aura, that she had spoken the words to give him a fighting chance, she had bared her soul that day and he had accepted. Even though they were mismatched, even though she could have done better, even though he had been so _ignorant_ of everything, the Invincible Girl had taken him on as her partner.

Jaune walked over to the small grave that Pyrrha's remaining teammates had made and brushed his hand lightly against the stones that were set there. He once more closed his eyes, but this time it was to find that spark that Pyrrha had given him all those months ago. Once he felt that he opened his eyes and was now glowing.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Jaune stepped back from the grave, his Aura once more diminishing, he supposed that that was a fitting way to send his partner off. Now he had work to do.

"Goodbye, Pyhrra Nikos. I'll see you again in the next life."

* * *

 **Hello everyone and welcome to this new small fic of mine. This is going to be a much smaller fic than any of the others that I have written so far and will be dealing with more emotions and inner turmoil than fast paced action. This is something of an exercise for me to get my writing juices flowing, so most of the chapters are going to be self-contained one shots. None of the chapters will be more than 3,000 words.**

 **I've had this idea for a little bit now, ever since I finally got caught up on RWBY. I had been a fan of Monty Oum for a very, very long time, ever since his Haloid and Dead Fantasy days and was excited for RWBY. Unfortunately, real life got in the way and I put the series on hold, before coming back to it briefly and putting it on hold again. However, I've finally caught up and I can say that I really enjoyed the series.**

 **Now as I said this fic is going to be a series of one shots, each chapter will be about the death of a partner within the RWBYverse. Why? Mostly because I'm trying my hand at something a bit more emotional, hopefully someone will like this little fic of mine, if even one person favs, follows, r reviews, than it has been a success. I decided to go with Pyrrha first cuz that's now cannon (spoilers!), but there will be others who are still alive and there is no set way. There might even be a point down the line where it's Pyrrha to Jaune, but we'll see.**

 **A few final thoughts, this chapter is un-betaed so any typos, grammar, all that jazz, it's due to that. Questions, comments, concerns? PM me! If you're feeling kind hit a fav/follow or review. If you have a suggested partner go for a review as well. Welp I think that's gonna be all for this, onto the disclaimer, cuz at the bottom is how I roll.**

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Roster Teeth and Mounty Oum! Please support the official release!**_


	2. Boop

Lie Ren was exhausted.

He had just spent the last fourteen hours fighting back the forces of Grimm with his team. Team JNPR had taken an assignment to investigate strange Grimm activity within the Forever Fall region. The mission had started simply enough, Nora was her usual exuberant self, while Pyrrha, Jaune and himself followed after the excitable girl at a much more sedate pace. Honestly it seemed that this would be more of a team building outing than anything else and Ren had found himself beginning to relax his guard slightly.

Of course that was when the mission had decided to go to hell in a hand basket. The team had been cresting a hill, Nora in the lead because of her boundless energy, when the hammer wielder froze.

"Uh… we might have a problem guys."

Ren glanced at his other two teammates and felt his eyebrows rise in disbelief. If something was on the other side of that hill that had his partner worried, then it couldn't be anything good.

And his gut instinct had been right.

As soon as the rest of the team caught up to the overactive girl, they had seen what she had.

Grimm.

Grimm as far as the eye could see, their toiling black masses writhing to make a desolate sea of black and eerie red. Ren tried to count the amount that was there, but he lost count around fifty. A glance in his team leader's direction and he saw an expression that he was sure mirrored his own. Blatant disbelief.

Ren wasn't sure how many Grimm were writhing in this particular valley in Forever Fall, but he was sure that if they made it to Vale it would make the Breach look like a joke in comparison. Just as he saw that their leader was coming to the same conclusion, a stray Grimm from the herd stopped and was looking at them.

"Oh no."

Ren agreed wholeheartedly with his fearless leader. The inquisitive tilt to that Beowolf's head spelled nothing but trouble for him and his team. This was supposed to be a short recon mission. They weren't supposed to engage any kind of enemy within the forest. They needed to get back to beacon and inform the Headmaster of what was awaiting them within Forever Fall.

However, before they could retreat the Beowolf had given a short bark, drawing the attention of others. Ren felt his mouth dry in fear as not just Beowolves began to respond to the call. Grimm after Grimm began turning toward the four humans in their midst.

"Crap. Guys, we need to get back to Beacon! We're gonna have to run and gun if we want any chance at getting out of here alive!"

Ren nodded towards his leader as he let his guns fall into his waiting hands. He felt a comfort as he heard the others ready their own weapons, the familiar hums of their mecha-shifts bringing him comfort. Ren closed his eyes as he drew forth his Aura, he would need it for the coming fight.

With one last look at the incoming horde, the four teammates bolted back the way they came. It wasn't long before they heard the tell tale signs of Grimm following after them. It was an even shorter time before they began killing the Grimm that had been of the quicker variety. Eventually they had been caught in some sort of pincer and had been surrounded by Grimm on all sides. Now it wasn't just a retreat, but a mad running fight for survival.

That had been almost fourteen hours or so ago by Ren's count. Night had fallen awhile ago and still he and his teammates were fighting on, but he knew that they were getting tired. He knew that his own physical limit was drawing closer with every passing minute. His stamina had always been the lowest of his team, but he made up for it with precision and efficacy of movement.

However, he could admit, at least to himself, that he was definitely beginning to have fatigue set in. Terror was beginning to set in as well, and that merely brought more Grimm to converge on him. His exhaustion was beginning to make him sloppy, he had already missed a few vital points and had had to correct for them.

It had been almost an hour since he and Nora had been separated from the JP aspect of JNPR, and his guns were beginning to weigh in his hand. Nora was still madly dashing around smashing Grimm left and right, but no matter how many they hit, more kept coming. He knew that they were fighting a losing battle.

It was funny, even though he was a Hunter in training, he had never imagined going out to the Grimm quite like this. He had always intellectually known that the possibility of succumbing to a fight with Grimm, but to actually have it happen to him left a slightly bitter taste within his mouth.

It was as this thought was going through his mind that he finally made a mistake. An Ursa was able to crash through his guard and he was sent flying through the air until he smashed through a tree.

"Ren!"

Nora's cry brought him back into focus. Had he blacked out? That wasn't good, he needed to make sure that he didn't let that happen again. Stumbling to his feet he saw his partner obliterate the Grimm that had been able to clip him.

"Don't worry, Nora! I'm okay!"

Nora gave him a little salute and smile, before she looked behind him and her face morphed into horror.

Eyes widening, Ren spun around, only to be confronted with an Ursa Major, whose paw had been pulled back. Ren felt a strange sense of calm. His Aura had taken too great a hit from the last attack, once that Ursa Major's arm came down, that would be the end. Ren closed his eyes to the inevitable.

However, although he felt the rush of the blow coming, there was no pain, instead a squelching sound rang through the clearing that he and Nora were in and a warm liquid struck his cheek.

Blinking open his eyes, he felt his face morph into horror.

Standing with her back turned to him, his partner had jumped in front of the blow. However, her Aura was more depleted than he had thought. The Ursa Major had blown through whatever was left and had punched a hole through his partner's chest.

 _No no no no no no._

Ren wanted to scream in agony at the unfairness of the blow. It was a blow that had been meant for _him_. He had accepted his fate. He _couldn't_ accept what his own two eyes were now telling him.

With a mighty roar, the Ursa Major pulled back, but as it did so, Nora gave one more blow as she _threw_ her hammer at the Grimm. Magnhild tore through the Grimm and it dissolved into Darkness, leaving only himself and Nora in the clearing.

"I'm… glad…."

Ren snapped out of his stupor at those soft words.

"Nora!"

He scrambled over to his partner as her legs finally gave out. He made it in time to catch his best friend, a friend that had been with him for almost all of his life. He fell to his knees, the girl who had been with him for so long in his arms.

"…I…was… able… to… make… it."

Ren felt tears burning behind his eyes. This wasn't how things were supposed to end. Nora was someone who babbled and talked at the speed of her Semblance. Not someone who could barely make a sentence. Ren was more aware than ever of the warm feeling of blood soaking his shirt, but he needed to somehow stem the flow.

Unfortunately he knew that the wound was too large. It wasn't something that he would be able to fix/ There was nothing that he would be able to do for his friend. His _best_ friend.

"Nora… I…"

Whatever he was going to say was silenced as Nora lifted a hand and placed a finger on his lips weakly.

"Silly… I'd… do… it… every… time."

Ren couldn't hold the tears as they began to stream down his face. His greatest friend was slowly succumbing to her injuries, because _he_ hadn't had enough stamina to continue fighting. To add insult to injury, there were no more Grimm at the moment trying to bear down on the two of them. They were alone in the clearing, although Ren thought he might have heard an occasional gunshot signaling that Pyrrha was still fighting.

"It should have been me Nora. I never wanted this to happen."

Nora gave him a weak smile and Ren fought ever fiber of his being against it. Nora's smiles were supposed to be exuberant, a balm for the soul. Something that was able to help him even when he was in the darkest of moods. It wasn't supposed to be so broken, distorted by the tears that he was shedding.

Nora's hand found its way to his cheek and cusped him gently. Ren grabbed the appendage, hoping that he could do something, anything, to stave off what he knew was going to be inevitable.

"I'm… a… bit… scared…"

Ren flinched in Nora's grasp at that, he knew he was scared as well.

"I'm… going… somewhere… without… you… for… the… first… time… in… a… long… time."

"Nora, you're going to be okay. We'll get you medical attention, they'll heal you no problem."

His partner merely gave a small shake of her head. There was a knowing glint in her eyes. She made to speak again, but blood burbled from her mouth.

"Nora! Stop trying to speak, you need to save your strength."

Ren knew his voice was urgent, he also knew that there was a tinge of desperation to it. He couldn't, _wouldn't_ , lose his best friend here. She was the thing that kept him going whenever his thoughts turned dark. He kept her grounded whenever she went a little too crazy. They had been a pair for so long, he was just as scared as she was to once more be alone.

"I… think… I've… broken… my… last legs."

The last two words were said with effort and in one breath. Ren was terrified, but Nora was nothing if not a fighter, she looked up at him, taking in his appearance, and he down at her, memorizing every detail of her face.

"Ren…"

Ren leaned forward trying to hear his partner, she was now getting softer as she lost more strength. Ren thought it perhaps cruel, Nora's Aura was trying to do something, but the hole in her chest was not going to be fixed, so she was having it drawn out much longer than it might have been.

"I'll… wait… for… you… on… the… other… side."

Nora's breaths were coming slower and slower, Ren knew that there was only so much more time left. He had wanted more time in general. More time to spoil her with pancakes, more time to go after her and her antics, just… _more time_.

Nora brought her free hand toward Ren's nose and gently placed her finger on the appendage. She smiled through the blood that dribbled from the corners of her mouth, a smile that was reminiscent of the Nora from only a few hours ago, eyes closed and her mouth stretched wide.

"Boop."

Ren watched in horror as the hand fell away and his partner's entire body fell limp, the stillness utterly unnatural from the exuberant girl. Ren grasped the hand he still held tightly. This wasn't possible, it couldn't be happening. Nora was supposed to be there, for everything, they were supposed to fight the world together.

Ren threw his head back and screamed to the heavens. He barely felt his throat becoming raw, he barely felt the sobs rack his chest, he barely felt the hands of his surviving teammates as they grasped him. None of it mattered anymore, his sunshine had disappeared from the world. His partner had said goodbye.

* * *

 **Welp that's another one down. I like this experiment, it's getting different stuff written, things that I haven't really written before, and I can write them fast. So now we have Nora/Ren, btw if you wanna really get them feels I'd suggest listening to the song "Boop" from RWBY soundtrack.**

 **I'm actually a bit surprised that I got any reviews at all from a 2,000 word oneshot that I randomly wrote, but DocSlendy, hope you had more feels. Thanks to 9 or so peeps who faved and followed. Hope you enjoyed the quick update. If you have any suggestions for the next partners, or really want to see one of the partner's reaction to the others death, leave a review.**

 **Now then, once more, no beta so any typos, grammar, and whatnot is cuz of that. Questions, comments, concerns? PM me! If you're feeling kind hit that fav/follow and leave a review (still can't believe I got one from such a short first chapt). I suppose that's all, down to the thing!**

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum! Please support the official release!**_


	3. Two Graves Have Been Dug

Neopolitan (although the only people who really called her that were those cursing her name as she slipped a blade between their ribs) watched on as the Grimm invasion that she had had a hand in planning began to wind down as more and more Huntsmen and Huntresses came out of the woodworks to smack down any of the straggling Grimm. As she looked on she tried to figure out where their plans and schemes had all fallen apart.

They had been cautious, they had been confident, the Maiden wannabe had gotten her own scheme off pretty much without a hitch, and yet…

Even with the entirety of Beacon Academy thrown into disarray, even with the rumors she was hearing about Ozpin having disappeared in the conflict, even with all the Atlas technology and Grimm to fuel their attack, it looked as if they had still failed.

In essence this was a pyrrhic victory at best. Their leadership was scattered to the wind, and Roman was dead.

Neo ignored the twinge of an emotion that she felt at her final thought. The master thief had been her only real friend in this Grimm forsaken world, and now he was gone. She closed her eyes and tried to figure out what she could have done for the outcome to be different, for her friend to have survived instead of perishing, one of the many casualties that they had been intent on causing, but it was _never_ supposed to be one of them who died.

Unbidden, the words that the thief had first spoken to her came floating to her mind.

 _Well, now, I don't think I've ever seen someone so vicious on a potential mugger. I happen to be in the need of some muscle to keep some of the more… unsavory people that I have to work with in line. Whaddya say, Ms. Neopolitan?_

Roman had always had a penchant for nicknames. He gave them out to everyone that he at the very least somewhat respected, but unlike all the others, it was the first time that anyone had ever called her something other than girl.

Neo had been born in the streets, and by the time she was three she had realized that she didn't know what her name was or where her parents had gone. Her first real memory was of a man dead at her feet, his blood slowly drying on her hands. She had just been some no name street urchin then, with a penchant for violence.

By the time she was fifteen she had unlocked her Aura and had become an even deadlier opponent. She became known in the darker circles of the city as a viper, someone not to be messed with under any circumstances unless they wanted to end up on the wrong side of her fangs. Which was why it was so surprising that some no name mugger had tried his luck at robbing her.

She had killed him as easily as it was to breathe, and by the time she was done, a slow clap had been coming from the end of the alley. It was then that the white suited self proclaimed "master thief" had come into the alley and said those words to her. The words that had become her name.

Roman had gone on to help her even more, helping when she had first figured out her Semblance. When he had realized that the brown haired demure girl with blue eyes that had been following him had been Neo, he had laughed uproariously at her Semblance.

 _I gotta tell ya Neo, your Semblance is perfect for our line of work. I might be a bit jealous._

Neo had merely blinked and smiled slightly as she gave a small nod of her head as the thief had ruffled her hair affectionately.

 _One day you're gonna outlive this here Master Thief, your skills are growing at a crazy rate, kid. Just know that I'll always have a job for you if you need one._

Around six months later the two had gone their separate ways, and Neo had begun to take contracts that regular Huntsmen and Huntresses stayed clear of. It was on one such mission that neo got her first true taste of fear.

Until that mission, Neo had never encountered anyone who had been remotely close to her skill level. She was a natural among naturals, if she had gone to one of the Academies she probably would have taken apart any type of student within its walls. However, on the assignment to take out a man called Taiyang, she had come into resistance in the form of a raven haired monster.

She had set up shop far from her target and had had him in her sights, but right when she was about to pull the trigger, a small change in the air pressure beside her had her moving before she even realized it.

It was good that her instincts were a step above the rest, because no sooner had she moved than a massive red sword had embedded itself into the place that she had been laying.

 _I don't believe I've ever seen you before_.

Neo still had chills whenever she thought of the cold voice that had carried on the still air. Neo blinked and was sure that her eyes had shifted as she watched the woman warily. A nervous tic that Roman had noticed, but was something that he thought no one would really be able to tell, seeing as she rarely let anyone escape from her once they knew her power.

 _However, judging by the weapon you wield, and by the way you were eyeing the father of my child, I can say that whatever you are doing here is nothing good._

It was then that Neo sprung into action. However, even with her natural abilities and predisposition for fighting and killing, she had met her match that day. Neo could count on one hand the times that she had almost lost her life, and that instance ma the list easily.

Luckily, she had had the foresight to call Roman to pick her up. He had found her a broken mess, bleeding from various wounds, with a life threatening wound in her abdomen. It was only thanks to Roman's connections and her own will to live that she had pulled through.

A little while later she had been called upon by Roman once more. A job had come up that he needed his preferred muscle for. They were gonna be doing something about the corrupt world and city that they had both been born into.

 _Now_ , Neo thought bitterly, _I don't think it was worth it in the end_.

The man that had given her her name, that had laughed and cried with her through tough times and fun times, the one who had done his best by her that he could, was gone.

Her grip tightened on her parasol as she thought of the various factors that had played a part in her mentor's death. True the little red had been a key factor, but there had also been that witch Fall. If she hadn't contacted Roman, then none of this would have happened and he would have still been among the living.

Neo glanced up toward the clock tower as a brilliant white light erupted from the top of the Academy, every Grim that had been in the vicinity of the tower freezing into stone as it washed over the place. Soon the event was done and Neo was left gazing towards the tip of the tower.

In the end, Roman had given his life for a cause he didn't really believe in towards the end. The only reason that they had still been involved was the thief's damn pride. Well, she hoped he was happy about a job well done from the other side.

Neo's gaze hardened as she once more took in the scenery of chaos and destruction that was all around her. She knew that at the moment there was nothing she could do to the people that had caused Roman's death, either directly or indirectly. However, that was just fine. She could wait. It was what she was good at after all.

Her first order of business would be to make a list. Everyone that was on that list would die in the end. Whether she had to wait five, ten, twenty years, they would all die. And she wouldn't stop with just them. She would find their friends, their family.

She would make sure the one who had the most direct contact would be last. They would feel such utter despair that they would be a beacon for Grimm to flock to. She would leave no stone unturned, no nook or cranny unsearched. The people who had given her the hurt she was feeling would get that feeling returned to them tenfold. She would make sure that they were broken before she slipped the blade that would end their lives between the back of their ribs.

She could be anyone on the street, infiltrate any city or prison. Nowhere would be safe from her vengeance. If she needed to the entire world would burn worse than anything that that fool Fall had planned. She would kill anyone and anything that got in her way. However, she first needed to find out where her enemies were currently hiding out at.

Taking a deep breath, Neo let her Semblance flow over her, making sure her appearance looked like nothing she had used yet by looking in the direction of a broken window, her reflection staring back at her. Red hair, with piercing violet eyes looked back at her. With a short nod, Neo began to walk towards where she had last heard the explosions that the Hunters had been causing. If she played her cards right, she would be safe in the refugee camps that had no doubt begun to be set up by now by next nightfall. However, she wasn't in any hurry to complete this objective. Neo was patient, she could wait.

Glancing towards the sky that was beginning to become a deep purple, signaling the coming of the morning, Neo clenched her fists. She raised her clenched fist in the direction that she was sure the airship Roman had been on had gone down at.

"They're all going to pay."

* * *

 **Hmm, a little bit shorter than I had expected it to be, but I think I'll end it there. This chapter is one that I've written for MonCon, the theme was Neopolitan and revenge, and I figured it would be perfect for my next chapter of Partners. I'd also highly advise reading any of the others that have been submitting entries, I've yet to see one I didn't like. I think this is the shortest one of these I've written so far, but I quite liked it, writing Neo was interesting seeing as she hasn't really got any back story within the show yet. I like the idea of Roman being a sort of mentor person, and the fact that he had given Neo her name, which she decided to latch onto.**

 **Thanks for everyone who has reviewed fav/followed so far. I know this fic won't be nearly as popular as some of my others, but even 2 reviews for such a short fic is awesome! I can't thank the two of you enough, same to the 16 or so who fav/followed.**

 **Anywho, still no beta, so any typos and whatnot are due to that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully it does okay in the contest! If you're feeling kind, hit the fav/follow button or review! Even with fanfiction being a bit stingy with showing them, I can still read them in email and that's good for now. Right, think that's all, down to the whosawhatsit!**

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum! Please support the official release!**_


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